Last year, Altadis USA scored rave reviews with the release of the Henry Clay Tattoo. They’ve followed that up with the Henry Clay Stalk Cut this year. The Henry Clay Stalk Cut has a great blend of flavors that comes from a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper, Dominican binder and a mix of Dominican and Nicaraguan wrapper. The Henry Clay Stalk Cut is a cigar that’s a great extension of the Henry Clay line.

Pre-Light: The Henry Clay Stalk Cut is a good looking square pressed cigar, with a pisgtail cap. There’s a slight reddish hue to its rich brown Connecticut wrapper. A nice oily sheen only serves to add to the appeal of this cigar. Similar to the Henry Clay Tattoo, the Stack Cut features two bands, one with the Henry Clay logo and one with the cigar’s name.

Earth, leather and dark chocolate aromas are present on the Vintage 2012 Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. Despite the covered foot, it is possible to discern uniquely sweet scents of leather, coffee and a chocolate note that is somewhat reminiscent of chocolate cereal). A pretty firm pre-light draw allows through a sweetness that consists of leather, oak, dark chocolate and nuts.

Burn: The draw on the Henry Clay Stalk Cut is a tad on the tight side, yet a decent amount of smoke still comes through. From start to finish, the burn of the Henry Clay is very even. Ash clings firmly to the foot of the cigar.

Flavor: The Henry Clay Stalk Cut begins with an intriguing mix of leather, oak and earth notes. There is a unique, but extremely subtle, spice that occurs as a background note on the palate. Slight hints of nutmeg, anise, almonds and cocoa all occur during the first third of the Henry Clay Stalk Cut. On the retrohale there is a mix of spice, leather and nuts. As the cigar burns into the second third, the leather note becomes more prominent as the spice recedes slightly to allow through background notes of coffee, cedar, grass and cashew. By the halfway point, the flavors have really begun to meld together, with nothing dominating the flavor profile. Once the Stalk Cut begins to burn into the final third, there a coffee note that begins to come to the forefront of the flavor profile, while subtler notes of cocoa, leather cedar, spice, black pepper, nutmeg and roasted nuts remain in the background. The retrohale brings to mind instant coffee that reminds me of Folger’s. (Does anyone drink that anymore?) Nearing the end of the Henry Clay Stalk Cut there is a good amount of black pepper and spice, as well as coffee and cedar, that remain until the remnants of the cigar are left to died a dignified death in the ashtray.

Overall: The previous Henry Clay Tattoo got high marks last year, and even earn a spot on our Honorable Mentions of 2015 List. I was hoping that the Stalk Cut would continue the high quality that was set by the earlier Henry Clay release, and it definitely has. That said, the Stalk Cut is a completely different cigar with a completely different flavor profile.While some cigar enthusiasts will certainly enjoy both, the Stalk Cut has much more cedar and spice, while lacking a meatiness of the Tattoo. The Henry Clay Stalk Cut has a lot to offer, and is a very good medium to medium-full bodied cigar. Personally, I found the Stalk Cut to be just a tad better than the earlier Tattoo release, but there are sure to be those who disagree. Unlike the Tattoo, the Stalk Cut comes in several vitolas, and in my opinion the Grand Corona seems to be the one that really allows the flavors to shine. I’d definitely recommend giving this latest Henry Clay a try.

Pairing: The Henry Clay Stalk Cut pairs very well with a cup of coffee or espresso. The wine drinker will find that a glass of Pinot Noir compliments the flavors of the Stalk Cut nicely. A good bourbon such as the Angel’s Anvil will pair well with this cigar also.

The cigars for this review were purchased from Stogies World Class Cigars in Houston, Texas. However, samples were sent by Altadis USA after the review was completed. No request for review was made by Altadis. As with most of our access samples, these were donated to Cigars for Warriors. While we greatly appreciate the generosity of Altadis USA, it does not alter the Overall Rating of this cigar. At Toasted Foot LLC we remain committed to providing impartial cigar and product reviews.